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The latest movie theater news and updates
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April 22, 2009
Projection questions
I’m working with the newly saved and to be totally refurbished Franklin Theater in Franklin, TN. I desperately need to talk to someone about projection systems.
Rod Daniel
615-790-17004 comments -
April 21, 2009
ShoWest Profile: Alamo Drafthouse
We had the pleasure of sitting down with John Martin, the CEO of Alamo Drafthouse, at ShoWest and hearing more about how the company, and its franchise concept, continues to grow to the delight of food and movie connoisseurs. Now, if you haven’t heard about Alamo, or have never been to one of their theaters, you’re really missing out on a unique moviegoing experience.
Alamo Drafthouse, as the name implies, is a chain of movie theaters that serves both food and alcohol. And while there are many other theaters that do this, Alamo does an especially good job at it. Their food is delicious, and they’ve come up with a nice way to serve drinks without impacting the movie experience too much.
But the Alamo is more than just food and drink. They do an awesome job with their programming. Special events. Special screenings. Film festivals. Retrospectives. There’s always something cool happening at the Alamo.
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“American Theatres of Today” special reprint edition update
The numbered, limited edition reprint of the historic book “American Theatres of Today” is now available through the Theatre Historical Society but is selling quickly!
Only 400 copies were printed and more than half are already sold, but you can get one while they last AND receive a special Cinema Treasures discount of $20 off the regular price
“a savings of 15 to 25%!” The discounted price of the Standard Edition is $75, plus shipping and handling, and the Deluxe Slipcase edition is $125, plus shipping and handling.To order you copy, go to www.historictheatres.org To receive your special discount, you must order online and enter the promotional code CT2009.
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Hollywood stars to take stage at Centralia’s Fox Theatre
Hollywood legends Rita Moreno and Robert Culp will star in A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” at 8 p.m. June 6 at the Historic Fox Theatre in Centralia, WA. Tickets are now on sale for this fund-raiser for the non-profit Historic Fox Theatre Restorations, which aims to renovate and reopen the theater in time for its 80th birthday in 2010. Ticket prices are $25-$100. Sponsorships of $100-$5,000 are also available. To learn more about our cause or this event, go to their official website or call Scott White at (360) 880-8053.
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US 23 Twin Drive-in to reopen under new management
FLINT, MI — Louis Warrington III, whose father owned the US 23 Twin Drive-in Theatre until his death last February, has announced that a five-year lease is being negotiated to reopen the drive-in for the summer under new management. Warrington is now stating that he is not selling it. The lessee as well as the planned opening date has not yet been announced.
Further details can be found in the Flint Journal.
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April 20, 2009
ShoWest Recap – Part One
This was our first official ShoWest visit and the following is our first report of day one at the convention:
We rolled into ShoWest on Monday, March 30, following the successful Monsters vs. Aliens opening weekend. All eyes were on DreamWorks Animation and those much heralded 3-D screenings. (To get in the proper spirit, I drove up to the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara two days earlier to catch an afternoon matinee of the film in Real D with several hundred other moviegoers.) The film had just opened to $59.3 million, a hair under the much hoped for $60 million gross. It was certainly close enough (and more than many had expected). Jeffrey Katzenberg and many exhibitors were elated.
At the 3:00 seminar, “How to Stay Ahead of the Curve as the Industry Confronts the Future,” much of the discussion was centered on the two key words of the week: “digital” and “3-D.” Along with Cinemark Chairman Lee Roy Mitchell; Harkins Theatres CEO Dan Harkins; Rory Bruer, President, Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing and Distribution; and Andrew Cripps, President of Paramount Pictures International—and other panelists from Rising Star Media and Vue Entertainment—a surprise panelist garnered much of the attention: Jeffrey Katzenberg. With domestic box office having a record year so far (up 11% in its first ten weeks of 2009, according to MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman), talk of tough credit markets—which have stalled new construction and some of the 3-D rollout—was overshadowed by the excitement surrounding the growing numbers of digital projection systems nationwide and by the recent 3-D frenzy. Exhibitors and distributors on the panel pledged their support for 3-D, the higher revenues these films can earn from ticketing surcharges, and the unique theatrical experience they provide. According to the panel, 3-D and digital, and plenty of good “product,” will keep theaters humming throughout the year.
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Lincoln Theatre set to open in May!
COLUMBUS, OH — The restoration project of the Lincoln Theatre is nearly complete. The 574-seat theatre at 769 E. Long St. is completing a 13.5 million renovation and is set to reopen Memorial Day with a free open house from 1-4pm for the neighborhood. The official ribbon cutting ceremony will be May 21st. Performances begin on May 28th @ 8pm, Maurice Hines (dancer, choreographer and resident Artistic Director) pays tribute to Nat King Cole through his song and dance. May 29th @ 8pm, Bobby “Blue” Bland will perform a concert full of his hits. May 30th @ 8pm Opera singer Denyce Graves will perform. May 31st @ 3 & 7pm the Harlem Gospel Choir will perform. The following week the regular season with JAG begins.
Tickets go on sale Friday 4/17 and can be purchased at the Ohio Theatre box office (614-469-0939) and Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com)) Two hours before each show, tickets will be sold at the Lincoln Theatre. For more information visit Lincoln Theatre Columbus.
(Thanks to GmanViz for providing the photo.)
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Hyway 5 is closing
FAIR LAWN, NJ — The Hyway 5 is closing its doors at the end of this month. All seats, projectors, speakers, and the concession stand are for sale.
If interested or if you need more information, please call Lee or Mo at 973 427-2524 during business hours.
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State one step away from being demolished!
OWATONNA, MN — The City of Owatonna will incur cost of razing State Theater!
A proposal to demolish the State Theater took one more step forward on Tuesday, April 9, 2009.
The theater has sat empty since 1996.
If all goes according to plan, the current owners listed as Newco Theaters, Inc.,will donate the building and the land to the city of Owatonna. Then the city will pay for asbestos removal and city workers will demolish the building. After the theater has been razed, the city will sell the property to a buyer waiting in the wings, which plans to construct an office building in the Spring of 2010.
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April 17, 2009
Movie theaters are doing boffo business
Turning back the clock, an article claims the moviegoing trends of today point towards a solid year for cinema not too unlike those of the Depression.
During the Great Depression, Americans flocked to ornate movie houses to forget about their troubles. Now, they are turning to impersonal multiplexes for relief.
Movie admissions are up about 10 percent year-to-date, according to the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), a trade association. Box Office Mojo estimates that box office receipts are up more than 14 percent. Five movies this year have grossed more than $100 million. This is great news for movie exhibitors.
Read the full story in Daily Finance.